UCAB, NASA Harvest to cooperate in agricultural production evaluation based on satellite data

MOSCOW. May 17 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) will cooperate with the NASA Harvest food security and agriculture program as part of a survey of production of main agricultural crops in Ukraine in order to improve the assessment of agricultural production based on satellite data, Ukrainian media outlets said with a reference to UCAB's press service.

"Together with NASA Harvest, we plan to work on improving the estimates of production, area, and yield of major agricultural crops. [...]This cooperation will not only help us better understand the significant changes in agricultural cultivation and provide transparency for agricultural markets but will also promote advances in technological approaches based on satellite data and machine learning for monitoring Ukraine's agricultural landscape," the press service said.

"We are committed to doing everything possible to provide the agricultural sector with high-quality analytics. [...] We hope that UCAB's expertise will not only support existing NASA Harvest projects in Ukraine but will also lay the foundation for the implementation of these practices in the country's internal processes, to develop the Ukrainian agricultural sector," Alex Olin, manager of strategic partnerships at NASA Harvest, said.

A wide regional distribution of UCAB member companies will facilitate conducting and sharing local expertise and hard-to-reach field data. This approach will ensure the quality of research and subsequent evaluations made based on remote sensing of the Earth, UCAB said.

UCAB and NASA Harvest view the improvement of production estimates presented to the Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry, the involvement of agricultural experts in the collection of field data and students of the AgroKebety educational program in NASA Harvest's agricultural assessment in Ukraine, and the deepening of cooperation in the sustainable development as promising cooperation areas.

"Collaborating with NASA Harvest is a valuable experience for the association and opens new opportunities for the Ukrainian agricultural sector. An international approach to issues of global food security and agriculture will enhance the sector and provide thorough analytics, which will be useful on the path to recovery and European integration," UCAB General Director Oleg Khomenko said, thanking NASA Harvest for its trust and recognition of the association's work.